Has some built-in commands to simplify interfacing with a Excel application

Initially I write a simple Windows shell/GUI around the SQLite engine.

Then I realized that I needed to exchange data with applications such as Excel, but I decided against accessing the raw Excel files. So I decided to support Comma Separated Variable files as the basis for data exchange with Excel.

But whilst CSV worked, I wanted to be able to output data from the SQL database and format it. Rather than exporting CVS from the DB, then importing the CSV into Excel and then formatting, I wanted a more direct route.

I knew about the OLE concept, but thought it might me too complicated for me to use, well my PlodWare programming effort is only a hobby! But then I decided to try out the Win32 API CreateObject, and behold I could start an instance of Excel from my GUI. I have expanded the GUI to provide a limited interpreter capability, broadly similar to VBA, that lets me write command sequences in my GUI and execute the commands in an OLE server.

I must say that writing such programs is a hobby, so there are some restrictions on functionality. As and when the restrictions really annoy me, then I might consider upgrading the programs to overcome the restrictions.

There are restrictions in SQLITE-OLE. For example, SQLITE-OLE does not access any application related library file.

So it is up to you to know that myExcel has a visible component and that visible accepts a value, and that the FileDialog takes a single value as its input.

Sorry, but SQLITE-OLE does not provide any significant support in providing names or values of the OLE application being manipulated.

Name

Value

Description

msoFileDialogFilePicker

3

File picker dialog box.

msoFileDialogFolderPicker

4

Folder picker dialog box.

msoFileDialogOpen

1

Open dialog box.

msoFileDialogSaveAs

2

Save As dialog box.

On the other hand, it is (in my un-humble opinion) a useful tool that lets me have the power of SQL coupled with data exchange to Excel, and a certain VBA-like macro ability in a single application that is less than 3 Mbyte in size.